• Utility company adds 12 more locations to agreement for operations center -- its energy savings flagship.
BRACKNELL, England, May 30, 2007 -- Honeywell (NYSE:HON) has announced that its UK Building Solutions business has agreed with Wessex Water to extend a major maintenance contract covering the utility company's head office and operations center. Wessex Water has also contracted Honeywell to manage 12 other buildings in its area of operation. The agreement includes a planned preventive maintenance program that covers heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, 24/7 alarm monitoring with on-call response and the management of approximately 20 system and service sub-contractors. A resident engineer manages the operations center along with Wessex Water's facilities management team and handles extra works, planned maintenance visits, the critical spares inventory and the sub-contractor re-tendering process. The operations center opened in 2000 and is regarded as one of the finest examples of energy efficiency in the UK. The 10,625m2 facility is designed for around 580 staff in an E-shaped building, with three parallel wings of two-storey offices interconnected by an internal 'street'.
Numerous measures incorporated in the design reduce the energy demands in the building. These include natural ventilation, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and passive temperature control, concrete coffers, pre-cast concrete wall panels and energy efficient lighting. The facility operates at approximately one-third of the energy consumption of a conventional office building -- around 100Kwh per m2 per annum.
"Hitting the 100Kwh target was a big challenge and took a great team effort," says Wessex Water's facilities manager Mike Caple. "With Honeywell's help, we spent the first year monitoring the site and gathering data on electric, gas and water consumption.
"We then developed an energy saving strategy that entailed driving inefficiencies out of the building and ensuring the systems we had in place did the job they were supposed to do. The strategy was successful and the energy target continues to be achieved to this day."
Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) had already worked for Wessex Water at the company's previous head office in Bristol and was regarded as an experienced contractor with a proven track record, offering access to a wide range of specialist expertise.
"The construction and opening of the new building was a critical time for us, with around 20 key operational services, including heating, lighting, access control, water tanks, BMS, lifts and boilers, being sourced from different suppliers," says Caple. "We needed assistance with the management and coordination of their activities and Honeywell provided us with a coordinated and consolidated solution. The company makes an important contribution to maintaining and building on what we have achieved so far."
HBS also provides Wessex Water with regular updates on equipment, technology and innovations that could enhance the quality of service provided and improve the environmental performance of the center. The company helps to review future options with the Wessex Water facilities management team and provides input on how potential developments may impact on the overall control of the building.
Wessex Water has now expanded the agreement to include administration and non-process facilities at 12 other sites including sewage treatment works, depots and its training facility in Yeovil.
"We expect to bring the same high levels of efficiency to these premises as we achieve at the operations center," says Honeywell contracts manager Gary Winning.
Honeywell International is a $33 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.
Wessex Water is the regional water and sewage treatment business serving an area of the south west of England, covering 10,000 square kilometers including Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.
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